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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — of the year
  7. swing — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — after costs
  16. ground — a position
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. swing — in golf
  19. can — a tin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — crushed
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com